The Angel Of Strife
by blackblood13ful
Summary: Begone thine holy virtue. Begone divine essence. Begone thine hallowed sublimity. Begone sacred transcendence. Cast from the heavens and into thy life, down will fall, the angel of strife.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This story is different from the other clotis I've written :D! that and longer. **

**This one is an AU and it's a highschool fic, but Tifa is a senior so it's alright. **

**And she basically has to cope with this angel that has miraculously fallen into her life!**

**I'm writing more very soon so stay tuned like very tuned! I promise I'm gonna update!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy vii**

**Ahh but imagine what hell would break lose of I did :)**

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_His brilliant light too magnificent for mortal eyes_

_The sonance of his voice too overwhelming for human ears_

_Begone thine holy virtue _

_Begone divine essance_

_Begone thine hallowed sublimity_

_Begone sacred transendance_

_Cast from the heavens and into thy life_

_Down will fall..._

_The_

_Angel_

_Of _

_Strife... _

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**Remember this part it's important! I know it's also in the summary as well but I just wanna stress the importance of this. Also remember I'm updating soon.**


	2. Senior year

**This is the first chapter!**

**I hope it turns out well!**

**Aaaaaaand I still don't own final fantasy vii! **

**Are you happy square enix?!**

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"Tifa! Wake up! Are you really going to be late for your first day?!" A loud and obnoxious voice rang from outside said "Tifa's" door.

She didn't remember setting her land lord to be her alarm clock. Probably because she knew for certain that he wouldn't have a snooze button.

A young girl, pubescent and blossoming, flung her so dissuasive bed sheets off her body and hurled her legs up and over the bed's edge with an aggravated grunt. She always found herself most heavy and hard to move on weekday mornings. Today was the first day of senior year. Yeah sounds great, but it also spells the end of summer vacation. And she was just starting to get into it.

Tifa went to a decent school, abundant with prodigal over achievers but also with degrading slack offs. She was a smart girl with morals and ambitions, but she was still a kid and craved high time and fun and games.

She lazily brushed her teeth and fixed her lengthy brunette hair. She never had to anything special to it as it always found it's way down her back like an automatic chocolate waterfall. She never bothered to put any make up on either, she just didn't need it.

She was not over confident or self assured, her skin just didn't need the coverage as it was smooth and placid enough to wear without the cover up, a pretty shade of peach and her cheeks naturally produced a gentle pink. Her eyes didn't need any liner, shadow, or mascara either. Again, she was not big headed, her eyes were merely big and hazel brown to adequately be all their own. Her lashes her were of common and moderate length, passable and easy going. So in short, Tifa was a pretty enough girl to not have any outside help.

Putting on a T-shirt and jeans she examined her reflection and deemed her self ready to leave, she never much cared about how she looked. So she grabbed her book bag and since she never ate breakfast in the morning, she headed for her door and wanted to get the first day over and done with because they were always the most complicated.

"Tifa! You up?!" The man began banging on Tifa's door relentlessly. Rolling her eyes, Tifa grasped her door knob, and yanked her door open, half scared her face would be banged by fists in the process.

"Good morning to you too, Cid." Tifa smiled sarcastically.

"God damn Tifa, What takes yah so long? I'm thinkin' I'm gonna be in forties by the time yah come out!"

"Well, you're almost there anyway." She chuckled. "I was taking a shower. Remember what those are, Cid?" Tifa waved her hand in front her nose, giggling.

"Shut yer chew hole! The only reason you have water is because of me!" Cid flashed his teeth at her good naturedly.

Cid was Tifa's landlord and one of her best friends. When her parents died, About a year ago in a horrible car accident. Cid agreed with authorities to take her in, if only to let her keep her apartment. She was practically an adult, always knew how to take care of herself since she was a child.

Because she was seemingly born with an acquired sense of direction, he let her live on her own. She knew how to put food in her own mouth and keep herself out of trouble, and that's all that she needed. But he'd always kept a close watch over helping with her recovery and making sure she kept on her toes. She and him had been close ever since and saw him more like a father figure every day.

"Hey, you're gonna be late if you don't get your rear in gear and get a move on!" Cid barked.

"Oh god! You're right, I better get going!" Tifa dashed past Cid but not before skidding to a halt and bidding him goodbye.

"Wish me luck, old man!" Tifa playfully punched his shoulder.

"Hey! Watch it! You're a martial artist, Doncha know how hard yah hit?!" Cid rubbed his shoulder with a scowl. Tifa had taken mixed martial arts classes as early as she could remember. Her father always told her that she should never walk around in this world with an empty arsenal. So she trained her butt off to respect her father's wishes. She never had to use her skills thus far, but one can never be too cautious.

"Sorry! Guess I forgot..." Tifa giggled.

"Good luck, Hulk Hogan." Cid flexed hid bruised appendage.

"Later Cid!" Tifa's feet carried her down a couple of flights of stairs to the front doors of the building. She always walked to school, preferring to take the long route, breathing in the fresh air of nibelhiem was something she always did.

It was an accommodating living area, open space and filled with modern trolley people. She grew up here but always dreamed of going to Midgar, the opportunists paradise. She and Yuffie promised each other they'd visit one day.

"Teef! Hey! Quit walking so fast! Wait!"

Speaking of Yuffie, She was currently running her way to Tifa's side.

"Hey! Missed yah!" Yuffie pulled Tifa in for a one armed hug. She also walked to school because she always ran into her. Yuffie was a free spirit whose convinced Tifa she may have no control over her volume. She had short raven hair and eyes that matched. She was a cute thing, not beautiful or sexy. She was too petite in stature and large in personality to suit either description. Her size basically betrayed that which she truly carried, which was a whole lot of...flare.

"So, I take it you still hate first days, yes?" Yuffie raised an eyebrow.

"Trust me, once tomorrow comes around I'll be back to normal. It's just that I hate the morning rush, you know?" Tifa sighed.

"Oh quit whining! We're seniors!" Yuffie extended the word and tip toed to reach Tifa's ears. "Don't you know what that means?!"

"No, but I'm guessing you'll explain it to me." Tifa smirked.

"You guessed right. It means we're queens of the school! We can practically get away with anything!"

"As long as you're with me that is..." Tifa snickered.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Yuffie face it, no matter how high the grade you're in, you'll still look like a ninth grader!" Tifa laughed. She'd make fun of the raven haired girl's stature just to rouse her up.

"Shut up! I'm almost as tall as you are now! But then again, that could be your huge boobs just making you slouch." Yuffie rested her head on her arms, smiling.

She elbowed Yuffie gently, making her chuckle.

"Well it's true!" Thier conversations were always like so. Volly balling friendly teasings and name calling.

Climbing the highschool's steps the two spotted a familiar head of auburn locks and a trademark red ribbon among the many heads of teenagers, she was sitting on a bench beside an ebony haired boy whose hair obeyed no laws of gravity.

"Aerith!" Yuffie had no trouble capturing the girls attention. She never had that problem with anyone. They clawed their way through the ocean of students to the girl who presently fought to reach them as well.

"Yuffie! you haven't changed much from what I see." Aerith chirped.

Aerith was someone Tifa, and probably every other girl in their school for that matter, found doubtlessly perfect in every way. She had the looks obviously, her hair flowed freely in a lighter shade of brown than her own. And her skin was perfect, her cheeks seemed to have a permanent blush to them. Her eyes were emerald green and didn't need flaunting.

And as the for the girl's personality, as far Tifa's knowledge goes she was just as beautiful on the inside as she was out. Not a bad bone in her, she was so innocent and fair in every aspect of being. She hadn't heard any gossip about her and She's known her since freshman year. The nature of jealous females is to spread gossip about the girl they envy to make their lives miserable. And it was a given that Aerith had bad female attention, what with all of her feminine perfection. But this wasn't the case with her, it seems Aerith's personality has reached out to others as well.

Yes, with all of this, Tifa could never find it in herself to hold any grudge against her. She was simply too good a friend to be held any contempt towards.

"Aerith! How've you been?!" Tifa crushed Aerith with a bear that left her legs dangling from her pink dress and giggling awkwardly.

"I'm fine Tifa! I've missed you! Do me a favor and put me down before I explode, please?"

Tifa put her friend down with a sheepish grin. "I keep forgetting how much I can do."

"So Aerith, how was your vacation?" Yuffie patted Aerith's probably sore back.

"Oh the usual, Went swimming, a few parties and went to see a lot of movies, went to amusement parks-"

"And you did all of that with Zack, huh?" Yuffie winked.

"Zack?" Aerith turned to the boy waiting at the bench. "Well...yes!" Aerith smiled.

Zack was now waving at the girls to come over, Yuffie gestured back telling him to hold on a second.

"So, are you guys dating or what?!" Yuffie whispered. "You have to be dating, why else would you do all that stuff together?!"

"No Yuffie, we aren't dating." Aerith giggled.

"Why not?!" Yuffie questioned her as they paced towards the boy in question.

"Well...the time just hasn't come yet I guess...oh shh!" Aerith silenced Yuffie when they were in his hearing radius.

"Zack! How's it goin'?! Tifa greeted him with a smile.

"What's up kid!?" Hugging Her, Zack smiled at Yuffie and flicked her forehead.

She's known Zack since the middle of sophomore year, he'd been the brother she'd always asked for and never received. He was protective, caring and understanding when it came to Tifa. He'd been hurt just as much as Tifa when her parents died. They loved him to pieces and considered him their own. His bright personality returned when Tifa introduced him to Aerith. She made him essentially radiate happiness and she was almost ashamed of Aerith for not knowing it was all her doing, not even Tifa had this effect on him. She couldn't help but notice how well their eyes contrasted with each other.

royal blue and brush green. How lovely.

To their unpleasant surprise, The long-since hated school bell screeched like a siren meaning it was time to get to class, homeroom to be exact. The class everyone was fretting about.

Reluctantly pulling out a wrinkled yellow card. "I've got 1212, anyone else?" Yuffie eyes scanned her friends. She hated being the only one talking in class, which was bound to happen considering it was Yuffie, so naturally she needed a friend to be right beside her.

Aerith took hers out from an ironed pocket.

"Aw, sorry Yuffie. I've got 3352." Aerith pouted. "How about you guys?" She turned to the last ones.

"1441." Tifa waved her card about between two pale fingers.

"Hey, I've got that room too!" Zack grinned.

"Aw, no fair!" Yuffie wailed.

"Well, all we can do is hope we have lunch together." Aerith smiled, she hugged her two friends and hugged Zack last. Something Tifa and Yuffie didn't fail to notice. Honestly, how much more obvious could it be?

"Bye, guys!" Aerith waved and rolled her eyes at Yuffie who was still throwing funny faces her way.

"Leave the girl alone and hurry up, homeroom's calling!" Tifa pulled Yuffie along, looking back at Zack.

"Well, come on!"

Zack looked down, shaking his head, laughing. They always seemed to be making him laugh no matter how silly and unworthy of laughter the situation may be. "What am I going to do with you two?"

"Hey! You just worry about your girl friend, buddy!" Yuffie shot back.

"Quiet, you!" Tifa pushed her further.

"Alright, alright! Promise you'll text me!" Tifa never took no for an answer. So might as well. She walked up the shiny steps to the stupid class.

"Promise!"

"You two are still as close as ever, huh?" Zack jogged up to Tifa's side.

"Well, of course." Tifa chucked. "I've gotten used to her, so now I need a regular dosage of Yuffie." She giggled. She and Zack knew she was only kidding. Yuffie had embedded herself deeply into Tifa's life. Threading herself into the very fabric of it. Tifa knew she would lose it she never saw her again. Yuffie, being her only source of concentrated nonsense, really took the drama out of Tifa's life and channeled it into foolish positivity. They were inseparable anyhow. They'd stuck by each other through everything and that's how it'd stay. So in a way she wasn't joking at all.

"Well...?" Tifa had been wondering for eons how far he and Aerith had progressed. Yes, they weren't together, but this is only minor delay. Because truthfully, it was painfully transparent how much they adored each other. You'd have to be alarmingly handicapped to discount a truth like that. This was only because the two were too hesitant to bring their true feelings to light. Which seems fairly stupid seeing as everyone else can tell but them. Love must truly blinds it's victims.

"Well...what?" Zack mocked her. He knew that Tifa was inquiring as to his current status with Aerith. Which normally would have been a simple enough subject to address, but as of late, things have been gravely confusing. One minute its as if they've been together their whole lives and after another its back to sitting on the friendzone bleachers. Women needed to be more like Tifa, straight forward. Honest. He'd humor her for now, if only to slake her curiosity.

"I'm just kidding! Honestly Teef, things haven't really been moving along that smoothly." Zack copied Yuffie's easy going pose, though his thoughts brought him the farthest from tranquility.

"Oh God, are you guys fighting?" Tifa gasped and feard for the worst.

"Oh no, far from it!" Zack returned the air to Tifa's lungs.

"We're just uh...the wheels aren't in necessarily in any motion...so to speak." Continuing, Zack opened the door for Tifa. And sat themselves down in their hopefully permanent seats.

"But, what does that mean?" Tifa had no experience with boys and relationships, so she had no inkling as to what Zack actually meant. Sure, Tifa could spot the obvious stuff out but other than that, things needed to be sort of spelled out for her in the category of romance.

"You're still clueless as ever Teef, promise you'll never change?" Zack poked at her nerves, leaning back in his seat.

"Shut up, and tell me what you're talkin' about."

"Well, its sort of a back and forth...kind of thing. First its love, then its friendship, then its love again!" He rested his head against his palm. "I don't know Teef, is it me?" It was such a Zack thing to joke his worries off.

"Well, call me old fashioned, but did you ever think about telling her?" Tifa never understood why they made things so complicated.

"It's kinda hard when you're not sure whether not she likes you back! You can't just walk into the playing field like that without knowing what you're getting into!" Did she really understand nothing? It was almost laughable.

"You're not sure if she likes you back?" She now understood why all her friends agreed men were so dense.

"Zack, I may be pretty clueless when it comes to relationships, but I am a girl and I can see right through Aerith. She is just as crazy about you as you are of her."

"You want me to tell her how I feel. Heh, it seems easy enough. Just...talking to her right? Well, it's about time anyway, we are seniors now after all."

"Oh please! Everyone really needs to drop that! We were juniors like four hours ago!" She exaggerated, what was the big deal? "You're really starting to sound like Yuffie."

"Ouch. Why do you hafta insult me?" Zack was appalled some one would compare him to the monkey.

"Heh, you see? This proves how much of a kid you still are!" Tifa had no problem bursting Zack's reasonless confidence bubble. Yes, they were on the thrones of nibel high, but their work is not nearly over. In fact it was only beginning.

"Hey! If I'm a kid, you must be a frigging toddler!" He threw Tifa's comment back at her.

"Nope, she's no toddler. Not with that body." In came an annoyingly cocky voice. One that rang and resonated in Tifa's poor ears, telling her to just run out of there. Run like she'd just caught fire and needed an extinguisher.

"Hello, Reno." Tifa's voice conveyed little happiness and loads of annoyance. He was a good enough person, but it was hard to count for that when he constantly tried to get Into Tifa's pants. And it was apparent that he didn't know how to take a hint. Ever since he transferred here, it'd been a never-ending cycle of pleads and rejections. He was handsome in a way, but she felt no romantic feelings towards him whatsoever. She didn't hate him, no. She just didn't feel what he felt for her.

"Good to see you, hon. Summer hasn't changed you has it?" Green, salamander eyes betrayed whatever good intentions he tried to fake. He rudely slid in the seat in front of Zack and leaned back on his deck, forbidding him any further conversation with Tifa.

"Who invited you into this conversation, Reno?" Zack smacked away the elbow that obscured his vision. The arrogant youth scoffed at the admittedly bigger man.

"What's wrong, Fair? Grouchy 'cuz Aerith isn't with yah yet?"

Zack payed no mind to his snide remarks, he brushed of his small pokes at fun with a smirk to add poise.

"Are you lashing out at me because she rejected you last year?"

"You know what-!"

"Take your seats, every one." A tall blonde man dressed in a white suit, stepped into the class room and skimmed the faces of every student. "That means you, sir."

Reno eyed the teacher for a moment, but ultimately slumped into his seat, childishly.

"I'm Mr. Shinra, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next year."

Tifa sat pleasantly in her seat, awaiting further instructions, when she suddenly felt intense eyes burning into the side of head. She turned to see a boy with odd silver hair, short and falling over his eyes. He was staring intently at her, despite her catching him. What does one call this? Rude? Yes, staring is rude, but the way he held his gaze wasn't necessarily offensive, so much as...weird and off-putting.

Unsettling might be a better word. His eyes still bore into her face? My god, What was he looking at? Did she know him? Did she do something to him in the past? Perhaps she had something on her face. She grazed her fingers along her cheeks to find nothing sitting upon them. Tifa raised an eyebrow at him, quite tired of the charade. He finally looked away, settling for facing the white board.

"That was...weird." The rest of the time in the class was in essence pretty boring, she and Zack texted each other though they sat across from each other. Zack, once again, proved how much of a kid was after throwing a paper ball at Reno's head, which earned him and smack against the temple after Reno passed on his way to the bathroom. And after the several minutes spent there, the bell rang and summoned the students up from their seats, and to the following period.

Walking out, Tifa heard Mr. Shinra stop a student from leaving, the boy who Tifa found glaring at her earlier.

"Kadaj, may I speak to you for a moment..." Was that his name? She'd have to write it down in case she needed to turn him in. He walked back and stood in front of Shinra's desk, expressionless. He seemed like a troubled young man.

"You seemed pretty out of it this morning..." That's all Tifa managed to hear as she had walked to far to hear anything more.

The rest of Tifa's classes surprised her. They were all advanced and she really hoped she would have a class with Yuffie or the others, but the way her classes were turning out, things didn't look to good for this wish. There was still hope for others though, they could survive in these classes but same can't be said for Yuffie.

Tifa pushed the gym doors open, and saw that she was the first one there.

"Echo!" She'd always wanted to do that. The gymnasium had and amazing echo, it practically lasted for hours! You could hear Tifa's bellow bounce of the gym's walls and corners. Thank god she got physical education.

"I heard that in the bathroom, You know."

To Tifa's surprise, Yuffie strode out of the girl's restroom with her hands covering her ears.

"Hi! I didn't think I'd have you for any classes." Tifa walked up to her friend and interlocked their arms.

"That's probably because you have a schedule full of collage level classes!" Yuffie bumped her head. "Anything interesting happen so far?"

"Well, does scary beyond belief count?"

"What happened?"

"I went to homeroom this morning, And this weird kid was in there... and he kept staring at me..."

"Wait a sec, like 'Wow that girl's hot' staring?"

"No, Yuffie. More like 'I'm gonna kill you in your sleep!' staring."

"Sounds kinky." Sitting down on the seats as the students began flooding the gym. Tifa guessed Yuffie only tried o lighten her up. It was working but should she be taking it easy? Her instincts never failed her before.

"Oh my god, Tifa look!" Yuffie grabbed Tifa's face and turned it towards the boy entering the building, catching a seat beside his fellow weight trainers . He wore his hair jet black, long and concealed his eyes which held a deep crimson. He was aloof and dashing, even resembled a vampiric being. His favorite color was obviously red, the way he wore it like it was a part of his skin. Tifa immediately recognized him as Vincent valentine.

"Oh, It's Vincent." Tifa said nonchalantly. She never really knew him, she knew of him because of the reputation that preceded him. He obviously looked like a creature of the supernatural, but she didn't hear about how well he pulled it off. Anyone may have well looked like an emotional hot mess wallowing in exaggerated sadness. But he made it look...all his own. Good, she dared to say.

"I think I'm in love, Tifa." Yuffie sighed and leaned on Tifa's shoulder.

"Wait...so you like Vincent now?" Tifa kept her eyes on him. He was so off Yuffie's radar. He was no where near her type. What would compel her to go for Vincent?

She was surely hallucinating. This was so...different. You'd think Yuffie would like boys in her group of loud and obnoxious. To like Vincent was the last thing that seemed possible.

"Isn't he a little... intimidating?" Tifa's eyebrows knitted together.

"Nah, What he needs is some Yuffie in his life, That ought to cheer him up."

"I bet." Tifa had always said the first days were the weirdest and she was right. Reno has an excuse to be around her now her now. She may have a Weirdo on her tail. She was now playing match maker with Zack and Aerith. And now she finds out Yuffie has a crush on Vincent. This will prove to be an interesting bout in Tifa's life.

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** So Yea! In this chapter was basically me addressing the fact that Tifa's a normal teenager with normal friends and normal problems...**

**...And how it's all about to change!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I cannot stress this enough! **

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT I AM DOING RIGHT OR WRONG!**

**Cloud will be appearing later on in the story so don't fret :) just stay tuned.**

**review! just needed to say it one more time XD**!

**Luv you!**


	3. There for each other

**This updating thing is going to drive me crazy -o-!**

**would you believe that halfway through writing this chapter half of it got deleted accidentally?**

**TWICE?! **

**I nearly lost it but I came through because I felt I owed it to the story :) its been on hold for the longest. **

**Well anyhow, this is the second chapter. it took longer because it IS longer.**

**hope you enjoy, review...blah, blah, blah still don't own final fantasy vii and on with the story**

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Ah, yes. Another perk of diving back into the wasteland that is high school is the impeccable dishes of food the cafeteria thawed out of boxes for the students.

Tifa poked at her alleged excuse for a...meat patty? Was that what it was? She poked at it again only to have a bit fluid leak out from the sides. She pushed the plate away and a shiver of disgust crawled it's nasty way down her spine. Apparently it was too much of a hassle to cook food thoroughly.

The lunch ladies must have had a personal vendetta or score to settle with the students, because this was just deplorable, did they feel a grain of remorse?

A vision of the patty slithering into her nightmares plagued her mind. She pushed her bile back down her esophagus. A sudden plummet of weight upon the seat beside brought her back to sanity.

"What's that face?" Aerith sat daintily next to Tifa and noted the contortion of nausea plastered upon her features. She studied the crime scene of what looked to be Tifa's lunch. Oh, the humanity.

"Oh god, you didn't eat any of that did you?" Aerith scoped out the white washed substitute for meat, hunting for chews marks. She exhaled when she saw it was still semi-circular, all of it intact.

"No way!" Tifa quickly rejected her accusation and noticed that Miss Gainsborough didn't have the same horrible luck that she was accursed with and was given a rather fair looking salad, clasped within a plastic container, mind you. Did she just pull these luxuries out the air the that hung around them?

"How'd you get a nice salad?" Tifa lay her head of bark colored tresses down against her arms. Resting her head since nothing would promptly be entering her mouth. Her charming friend smiled down at Tifa from her perfect posture.

"This? Oh, Zack brought it for me..." Aerith smiled frivolously at the donation from her so called 'friend'. Tifa regarded from her lethargic position the way Aerith fidgeted with the container, the way the swayed it from delicate hand to delicate hand. The two lingered within that hushed stretch of time. Neither one of them bothering to break it.

They merely hovered amidst unperturbed silent consonance...and chafing, vexing, grim stillness. All that was heard was the sound the legion of shoes scraping along the patio granite and the infinite chatter of students' mouths, full or otherwise. Tifa glanced at her again, and contemplated talking to her like she did with Zack. But she didn't know if she wanted to talk about it. She might be just be as confused as Zack was and unwilling to give voice to her thoughts.

But Tifa elected that it was simpler to initiate conference and talk about it than to muzzle down the intensity of the affection she'd grown for him. Through this simple solution, the problem would be accurately cut down to insignificant size.

"So..." Tifa leaned into the elegant beauty to make things seem more personal. "What's going on with things between you and Zack?" Oh how she loved playing the role of the shrink.

"Oh... things are fine, thanks for asking." Aerith answered Tifa with a hint of puzzlement. As if to ask if anything should be going on. Or if it was any of the girl's business. The way she peered knowingly into the depths of green eyes swarming with unspoken sentiments was making her feel like her little fib was an attempt in vain.

"Really? Just fine?" Things are just 'fine'? Likely story. If Tifa remembered correctly, when she had spoken to Zack, he'd said that he and Aerith had reached a bit of an impasse in the advancement of their relationship, if you could call it that. In other words, it's almost like they'd been in the front seats of a roller coaster that never took off.

"Well...more or less." Aerith put her salad box atop the table with a dejected sigh. She looked distressed, like she didn't know what to do with her problem, but this was foreseeable. Aerith, like Tifa, had never been in a relationship. While she could have any man she wanted, she'd never been seen taking advantage of this ability. Aerith was truly the spitting image of what you'd imagine to be a princess. Plenty of willing suitors, the pristine atmosphere the accompanied her every which way, and she even played the damsel in distress part very well.

"More or less? Is something the matter?" Tifa had pretend she hadn't exchanged a word with Zack. If she wanted to be an impartial friend, these were the means of accomplishing the task.

"Nothing is wrong...but nothing is right." Aerith collapsed onto the table mirroring Tifa's sluggish move. This had truly effected her. She was hardly one for hobo-ish antics. She descended down to her and smoothed a chestnut lock out of her face.

"Hmm...mayhaps...'the wheels aren't in any motion'?" Tifa grinned victoriously. Using what Zack had said to elaborate the situation to Tifa was probably the best way to go about things. This was bound to get a reaction out of her, who better to relate to her than Zack?

Aerith gathered herself from her pensive sulks and looked at her friend slash counselor. She came to a slow realization.

"Yes...that's exactly what's going on."

Tifa smiled. Zack had almost made it seem as if Aerith was accountable for the exasperating confusion. But it was now clear that neither of them were responsible for the minor mishap. Aerith had no idea what she was doing and the same excuse should be upheld for Zack. They both made the blunder of not making evident what they felt so was anyone really to blame? A simple mistake by two unsuspecting love birds. Tifa suppressed the squeal of adoration struggling to erupt from her throat.

"So that's what's wrong, huh? Why haven't you done anything about it?" Tifa opened up her sullied juice box complacently, satisfied with her nearly finished work, sipping lousy raspberry and some other bizarre fruit tasting mixture. Disregarding it's taste, she only cared for rewarding herself. Gratification coursed through her veins and bee lined directly into her head, swelling it up with pride.

But looking at Aerith's astounded expression sent Tifa's pride out a figmental window.

"Havn't done anything?" Tifa, I've tried, honestly! It's just..." Aerith fiddled with the container of presently browning lettuce again. Her eyes revealed perplexing befuddlement concerning the question of what she'd done...and what she had yet to try.

She resembled Yuffie taking a math test.

"I guess, I don't know how to bring it up." Aerith closed her eyes and Tifa guessed she grew tried of her reading them.

"If I were you, I'd just grab his ass and maybe then he'd get the picture." Yuffie scuffed her way down the pavement inelegantly, her mouth agape in the middle of a yawn and joined them, offering her lovely advice. Tifa and Aerith stared at her pointedly with friendly criticism in their scrutinizing gaze.

"I mean, I'm just saying" Yuffie crossed her arms on her chest begrudgingly. "I was only giving my input!" Yuffie unavailingly defended an already fruitless point.

Tifa graciously advocated what Yuffie intended to say, setting a hand on Aerith's back comfortingly. "What she means is, it won't seem as hard if you just tell it like it is, right? I mean, that way there's really no thinking involved."

After a moment, Aerith nodded valiantly. "I've decided...I'll try to get my feelings across." She placed an appreciative hand on Tifa's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Ah...Don't mention it. I signed up for this, It's my job as a friend." Tifa blushed as her pride returned to her as quickly as it left.

"Well, you're very good at it." Aerith smiled gratefully.

Yuffie sat quietly waiting expectantly and covetously.

Aerith giggled. "Thank you, Yuffie." She sardonically expressed her gratitude, bumping shoulders with the raven haired girl whose eyes rolled rancorously.

"Anyway, I came here to tell you guys that Rude wants to see us, all of us."

The recollection of the name that belonged to the quarterback, whose best friend happened to be Reno, summoned resentful memories in the back of Tifa's mind. He'd been the reason Reno and Tifa had met in the first place. And look what came of their introduction. She long since abandoned her indignation towards Rude, but what a mistake he'd made. Actually, Rude was a real respectable guy, he cared about school, he was diligent, and he took his sport seriously. Why he'd chosen Reno for the role of best friend was still a valid question to this day.

"Now?" Tifa took Aerith's hand to assist her getting up from the bench.

"Yep, it's urgent, let's go."

* * *

The library was the designated location of their 'meeting'. Tifa most certainly didn't mind. The library was probably her favorite area in all of nibel high. And Tifa really liked the gym, so that said a lot. The reason would have to be because it was the only place that indirectly demanded that anyone who set foot in it to act with a sense of decorum and civility. And any who a transgressed that simple rule would be apathetically thrown out without so much as a warning.

That wasn't even the best part of it.

The library was not only delightfully authoritarian but also extravagantly embellished with gigantic wooden shelves that ranged from Golden oak to Red mahogany to Dark walnut. Thousands of thousands of miscellaneous books neatly jammed into the shelves only served to compliment their grandeur. The diversity of the books and what was inside them seemed to enhance their excellence to an even higher degree. Blood wood tables situated about the vicinity gleamed under the light that splashed through the stained glass windows and Tifa could almost snuff the scent of lemon polisher on them.

The library was quiet but the inaudible sounds of minds at work was all Tifa could hear.

And the computers were so shiny.

Tifa noticed the school upgraded since last year. These looked much faster and reliable.

"Tifa! Stop drooling over the new computers, you're gonna break 'em." Yuffie's call made Tifa's head turn on it's own to see Rude and Zack running in out of breath.

"I did it!" Rude did something amongst a whisper and a yell and it somehow worked to express the extent of his happiness.

"...Did what?" Yuffie didn't look like she gave any damns about what Rude had to say the way she smacked her gum flippantly and spoke impassively. Tifa knew she never cared much for the hard workers because she was positive that they all were 'no fun'. Rude fit the characterization of such. But they were good friends because he'd often snag them seats to games.

"He made Team captain!" Zack slapped Rude's back because it was just a guy thing.

"No way! You've wanted that position forever!" Tifa smacked hands with the new football team captain. This was like hearing a family member had won a Nobel prize. Albeit, it wasn't that big, but it was to Rude and to his friends. He'd worked his arse off trying to prove himself for the position as early as Tifa could remember. He's settled for just being corner and nothing more, and he was content with it. But he did precisely that, settle, which didn't cut it. And now he finally reached the spot he was entitled to.

"How'd you do it?" Aerith patted Rude's shoulder.

Rude extended his arm to the shadowy figure that lurked unseen by any of them. He stepped out of the umbrage that concealed him so very well.

"It's all thanks to Vincent!" Rude contentedly gave Vincent one of those one armed hugs, which made Tifa wince apprehensively. But she eased herself when she saw Rude didn't disappear in a flurry of black dust on contact with the silent athlete. In fact, it struck Tifa that Vincent actually made the impression of being comfortable with them. She'd assumed he only hung around with his own circle of friends but...

"Look Tifa! He is sociable!" Yuffie whispered excitedly.

"Yeah...I guess so." Tifa was still having a bit trouble processing the truth.

"Look, I need you to do me a favor." Yuffie spun Tifa around and looked deeply into her eyes. "I need you to go over there and talk to him for me."

There must have been a gas leak in the library because surely one of them had to be hallucinating. Either Tifa was delirious and hadn't heard what she just did, or Yuffie was imagining things and believed Tifa had it in her to speak to Vincent. So Tifa just laughed and waved her hand at Yuffie breezily.

"Very funny, Yuffie."

Tifa mentally prepared herself for what she hoped she wouldn't hear.

"I'm serious." Yuffie smiled affirmatively.

It didn't work.

"What?! I can't talk to Vincent!" Tifa reprimanded her friend frantically.

"You just saw how he was with Rude and Zack and everyone else!" Yuffie forced her to relive the scene of Rude thanking Vincent and how much praise was seen in his eyes through his sunglasses. She would have to come to terms with the facts and see that Vincent was not as scary as he came across.

"...You want me to set you up?" Tifa asked anxiously.

"No! Not yet! I just need you approve of him for me."

"Approve? What does that mean?" Tifa's head shook annoyed at her wacked out senselessness.

"You know, scope out the playing field! Make sure he's suitable for me and is befitting to my every curve and contour! Like, make sure we can go together, you know?" Yuffie intertwined her fingers to emphasize. "You have to do it, it's the girl code!" Yuffie was about to beg at Tifa's legs.

"I don't know, Yuffie. I've never done anything like that before I mean what if I..."

"Pleeease?!" Yuffie batted her eyelashes pleadingly.

"...All right, but-"

"Yes! Okay, go, go, go!" Before Tifa had begun formulating a decent conversation ahead of time, like one should. Yuffie had nudged her towards Vincent and there were no means of escape with Yuffie's vice like grip. So she had to grin and bear it if she hoped to survive, these were the trials and tribulations of being a best friend

Yuffie had thrust Tifa into Vincent's shoulder like a bulldozer. As Yuffie sauntered away casually, Tifa was left to wait nervously as the bumpie turned to the bumper. He looked at her broodingly, and she gulped her fear down and spoke firmly.

"Sorry, uh...I'm Tifa...and uh.." Tifa tripped on every word and was beginning to feel like she should just give up. But she said that she'd do it and she wouldn't back out now.

"Vincent valentine." His voice was menacingly low, it lied deep down in his throat and came as a raspy growl.

"Oh..so you helped Rude with the...uh." Tifa hated the way she stammered inarticulately, this was going so smoothly.

"Yeah, I talked some sense into the coach, he has what it takes so it was about time I spoke up about it..." Tifa watched as Vincent stared at Rude and the others and how he talked and smiled with them and received congratulating whacks on his shaved head.

"You're right..." Tifa smiled admiringly at them and faced Vincent. "But why'd you do it."

"...I just told you." He blinked at her and back at the commotion in front of them.

"No, that's not why you did it. It's a reason, but is it really why?" Tifa tilted her head inquisitively .

Vincent looked at her with a stare that held something...an emotion, she couldn't decipher in his eyes. He looked like he almost had to think about what he was trying to say, as if he actually cared about what she thought of him. No, that's not it...

"I talked Rude up because I felt he deserved a shot." Vincent's gaze steadily shifted to his right. "He had been working so hard and he never asked for any help..."

Vincent looked at Tifa once again. This time, what she found in his eyes was unmistakable. Sincerity.

"It's when a person refuses help...that they need it the most..." He never blinked once. She could only stand there and soak it in.

"I believe that too..." Tifa recalled how she built up a façade brick by fabricated brick only to have it climbed by the ones she loved.

"I should think so, Rude told me about...what happened." Vincent abstained from facing Tifa when he spoke the sentence, like he didn't feel capable of doing so.

Broken glass.

Broken glass and obliterated vehicles flooded Tifa's reminiscent mind. She remembered car doors and bumpers scattered along the road. Those belonged to the car that flipped on it's side with a different family still ironically 'secured' in their seat belts and still breathing. Smoke poured from the car's engine and it blackened the already weeping sky.

Then there was the car that carried her parents.

The cute little red thing that took Tifa to her dream lands. To the ice cream place. To the neighborhood park. To the pool where she could only swim in the shallow end, but never minded. Her once favorite tool of transportation became the object of her nightmares. The way it's paint had been scraped and tarnished with dirt and angry skid marks. The way it's front clasped around the tree it crashed into so violently. And her mother and father's heads. His bent into the steering wheel and hers onto the asphyxiating air bag.

How the still working windshield wipers smeared dirt and bark around and all over the glass.

But the most she remembered was blood. Blood that mixed with soil and rain water. Blood that leaked out from the car doors. Blood that stained the countless shards of glass.

Blood caked on lifeless faces.

"I'm sorry."

She felt a large hand being placed timidly on her shoulder. She looked up at Vincent who looked unwaveringly into her eyes. She felt like he was almost willing the tears that threatened to spill fourth back into their ducts. And she was overcome with serenity. Tifa felt all the memories ebb away, back into the small pouch in her mind. He'd unknowingly quelled her heartache. She had Vincent completely wrong. He was...nice. She took the hand that was on her shoulder and shook it.

"Thank you."

He didn't smile but nodded and returned her hand shake.

"Tifa!" Tifa gasped and saw Yuffie waving her over wildly. She bid Vincent a goodbye smile before scampering over to Yuffie's side.

"Well? How'd it go? I saw that he touched you! Tell me what happened!" Yuffie yanked Tifa's arm hysterically.

"Slow down!" Tifa flattened Yuffie's arms to her sides and continued. "Listen, I honestly say that..." Tifa spared Vincent one last glance and saw him and the others exiting the library, probably to savor the last minutes of lunch.

"...That he's a good guy." Tifa smiled genuinely at her loud friend.

"Really?! That's awesome!" Yuffie threw her arms around Tifa's curvaceous frame and nuzzled her nose into her cleavage.

"Stop that! You're going to get us thrown out!" Tifa wrestled out of Yuffie's fondling embrace.

Yuffie giggled and turned her head to the opening of doors. Reno walked into the library with his sure stride. He was really coming to congratulate Rude now. How typical of him.

"Well look who decided to show up. Late, of course. And this was to celebrate your own friend too!" Yuffie scolded Reno and was already leaving to join the others.

"For your information, I spoke to Rude ahead of time! Before both of you!" Reno retaliated quickly and rolled his eyes copying Yuffie's trade mark hint of annoyance. Tifa was surprised to hear that Reno had already commended Rude beforehand and silently applauded his loyalty, taking back her discerning thoughts.

"I came here to study for a project. So maybe you should ask before you accuse."

Yuffie rolled her eyes again. "Whatever, Let's go Tifa."

Tifa smiled at Yuffie's endearing, childish ways. She sprinted to her hoping she would escape before Reno could stop her because she knew he would try.

"Where yah goin' Teef. Can't you help me study?" Reno scurried up to her and looked at her hopefully. Tifa was about to Let him down easily.

"It's Alright Tifa, You go on ahead. I'll help Reno!" A girl whose brown hair was worn in a ponytail and eyes of the same color glimmered eagerly.

"Thanks, Jessie." She should have known Jessie would be there to liberate her of the incommodiousness of Reno's awkward dismissal. Jessie had always been a moments notice away from Tifa's beck and call. Not that Tifa forced this engagement upon her, it is was of her own volition. Whether it be a hand with school work or intervening with a problem.

Tifa admired her selflessness and her mastery of lots of masculinity and subtle femininity. She acted like Yuffie, dressed like her and talked like her, but her face resembled that of Aerith's.

Jessie pulled Tifa in and whispered. "No, thank you." She winked insinuatingly.

"What do you mean?" Tifa hardly liked the foreign sparkle in her eyes.

"I mean, I can finally spend sometime with Reno!" Jessie winked at her. Tifa had to delve deep into herself to try and stumble upon some interest in the story Jessie was blatantly dying to share. It's not that she didn't care, it was just that Tifa already had love related burdens perched oppressively atop her shoulders. She didn't need the redundancy of another added to the heap. That, and she didn't feel necessarily enthusiastic about throwing kind and giving Jessie into the arms of lazy and unorthodox Reno.

"So you like Reno." Tifa addressed Jessie's confession neutrally rather than questioningly.

"Yeah, I know he's a little...uh.." Jessie brought her hands up to her temples and emphatically jerked them outwards while pursing her lips and crossing her eyes, simulating the detonation of brain cells due to the Reno-generated frustration.

"But that just means he's a diamond in the rough, you know." Jessie defended her crush, smiling like a lovesick puppy.

"When did this happen?" Tifa knew Jessie couldn't have developed this infatuation overnight, it must have taken a lot of time to deem Reno, overlooking all of his flaws and finding redeeming qualities, worthy of her love.

"Well, I don't remember. I guess, I just _saw_ him one day." Jessie sighed as the sentence escaped her lips.

Tifa looked over to Reno, who was evidently having problems with the new computers, they were new to him after all. He banged at the monitor and cursed obscenely at the cumbersome machinery. The screen went blue and he looked around to confirm no one witnessed the computer's failure. He then pressed and poked at the keyboard keys, probably hoping it would override one of his previous slip ups. He called it quits after no attempts prevailed and motioned Jessie over.

"Well...Good luck with...whatever you're getting yourself into." Tifa smiled awkwardly at her and rubbed her shoulder benevolently.

"Thanks, I better get going." Jessie skipped away to Reno and helped him with the computer he'd almost destroyed. Tifa didn't realize that someone could really like see Reno as anything more than your abrasive friend, but as was seen with Yuffie's situation, there is a first for everything. So naturally, nothing dumbfounded her anymore.

* * *

Tifa's feet felt like her feet were hindering anchors, making the chore of walking home all the more strenuous. Whatever material her shoes where made out of, was entirely too heavy.

To make matters worse, she just stepped on something sticky.

Tifa hoisted her leg up to examine the underside of her shoe and saw a piece of trampled, dirty gum with a sickly pink hue squashed to the heel of her foot. Great, an added weight.

She considered hopping home on one leg, but she opted to just take her shoe off and walk with one foot bare.

She eventually made it to her building and found Cid awaiting her at the steps.

"Took yah long enough." Cid stood up and his bones protested vehemently, he must have been on his butt for quite a minute.

"How long were you waiting there?" Tifa's delicate features twisted with pity as she pushed open the doors of the building and offered him entrance.

"Couple hours at most, but where have you been?! Oh yeah, you're a student, I really don't know why you waste your time at school, all you do is come in, jot down some gibberish, then yah go home!" Tifa affectionately rolled her eyes and minded Cid's all of Cid's irate ranting while she sampled through the bills the government had so charitably shoved into her mail compartment.

"So, how's school goin' anyway?" Cid elected to join Tifa on her journey upstairs.

"Fine. Well, I do wish homework were less complicated but what can you do?" Tifa shrugged as she power walked to her door. Cid gave up on working his way up to his question, he felt too lazy to do it so he felt it was better to just come out with it.

"When are you gonna hand over that rent money, huh?" Tifa, too engrossed in the bills that would put quite the paper cut in her wallet, didn't really pay attention to him. But she did catch that last part.

Tifa's steps were brought to an abrupt halt put her hand to her head, stunned. "Oh I totally forgot about that!"

"Relax kid, you are under my care you after all..you shouldn't have to do anything." Cid dropped his arm on Tifa's shoulders and his voice was teasing as he appeased her of the debt, he knew she hated being babied.

Tifa slipped out from beneath Cid's heavy arm. "Oh no, I owe the money, so I'm going to hand it over. I'm going to work tomorrow, anyhow." Tifa unlocked her apartment door and jogged inside to voraciously raid the fridge since she hadn't eaten all day. But she couldn't eat with the badgering thought of her gum ridden shoe gnawing at her head, so she tended to that first.

"Besides, you only took me in so that I could live independently, no?" Tifa scraped vigorously at the bottom of her shoe with a nearby knife.

"How come yah didn't look into emancipation, Teef? Not that I don't like bein' yah guardian and all but it is what most teenagers with your skills would do." Cid asked from beyond the kitchen. He'd been meaning to ask her that since her parent's passing.

Tifa stopped lacerating at the marring piece of resin. She put the knife down and looked at him contemplatively. He was beginning to feel like he pulled at the wrong string.

"...Because, I feel like I'd be abandoning them that way..Like I'd be leaving their memory behind. " Tifa opaquely referred to her parents, remembering the abhorrent site of their deaths, coming in ghastly visions. She shook her head, refusing to let the memories dampen her spirits anymore today. She smiled because she felt the aura was too daunting in there.

"And I guess I wanted you to stick around, for me." Tifa smirked lightheartedly as Cid' very own lopsided smile came to his face.

"I stay for the air conditioning, don't flatter yourself, kid." Cid inclined back on her couch snickering.

Tifa put on her best 'hurt puppy' look and ducked onto the counter, whimpering, which brought Cid over like a moth to an innocent flame. He hugged her listless, chuckling body and flicked her forehead making her yelp amusingly.

"You know I stick around to make sure you're alright, yah little punk."

Tifa giggled. He always knew exactly what to say. She whacked him on the head with her gummy shoe. Cid put her down and grappled her own shoe out of her hand and returned her smack, he ran for the door before she got the chance to retaliate.

"I got other people to bother, see you around!" Cid slammed the door behind him his unyielding footsteps echoed throughout the halls and into her ears. When she hands him his money tomorrow, he would surely get it.

* * *

Her number one perk of weekends, truthfully, was going to work. And then followed the time she afforded to spend on herself, the unblemished sky, the days when the sun felt magnanimous and didn't fry everyone and so forth. But working didn't really feel like working to her, not with job she was fortuitously blessed with.

She worked at a cozy bar, devotedly known as '7th heaven'. It was a roughened out cavern that had a neighborly atmosphere all it's own. And it wasn't the run down, opprobrious beer shacks one might see at the end of an ally. But rather flattering and homey. At daylight hours it was really more of a diner. But Tifa hardly gets to see it.

Tifa usually covers the night shift and rarely comes into work in the mornings or afternoons. She often has to come in and serve drinks to customers and watch as they converse and sometimes even joined groups just for the enjoyment, but she hated the pungent taste of alcohol so it never touched her lips. She only joined the patrons for amusement and that was it, though she would never slack off. She'd always had fun there, it was one of the reasons why it didn't feel like a chore.

But today was one of the times where she came during the day.

She pushed the door open as it it's chimes rattled. A dark skinned, heavily robust man polished at glasses and looked up at the ringing chimes.

"Tifa! How you been?" Barret bolted from the sink to embrace Tifa lovingly. She struggled for breath against the great wall of his chest and the beach balls of muscle attached to his arms. Barret wasn't really a body builder he only gained the excessive body brawn to keep the bar safe, or so he says. Despite his throwing appearance and rough words, Barret was one of the kindest people Tifa knew. He was a considerate boss and a great family man. But that's only when you're on his good side, get on his bad side and you can only hope you'll live.

"Fine, everything's good." He put her down lightly and went back to the sink, his hand pointed towards one of the tables inviting her to sit.

Tifa slumped down on the chair and rested her head on her fist.

"I know school started, How's that goin' for yah?" Barret's raspy laugh reverberated through the bar.

Tifa gawked at him disbelievingly. "We're weeks into school already, Barret! Where have you been?"

"Oh yeah..." Barret dark eye's squinted looking upward, cycling through his memory. "Oh, that's right! You a senior now, I remember that feeling..." He shook his head chucking remembering all the wild stunts he pulled.

"How's that working out for yah?"

"Well, nothing's really changed...about me." Tifa clarified, knowing well that some of her friends have changed drastically.

"What about that lil' crazy friend of yours, and the one with that ribbon in her hair." Tifa smiled at the small fact that her friends still had some residence in Barret's memory. She brought everyone over quite a lot to rejoice and engage in horseplay.

"Oh them, yeah they left me in the dust." Tifa got up and aided the owner with dishes, he washed, she dried. "Oh and I have plenty of reason to think that Aerith and Zack might finally be getting together soon."

"You mean with the tall, black haired dude?" Tifa nodded, smiling exuberantly.

"So..they ain't datin' already?.." Tifa laughed and shook her head, he had every clue, every hint to think that they were already together, the way the were so lovey dovey around each other.

"No, but doesn't it seem like they should be?!"

"They had me fooled." Barret sighed but kept handing Tifa dry dishware. "Yeah, you and a lot of other people too." Tifa rolled her eyes.

"But whacha' mean yah got plenty of reason to believe they gettin' together now ?"

"Well, I've sorta been planning the entire thing. I've told them everything that they have to do and how to do it, which isn't that complicated actually. All that's left for me to do is be there when they confess and push their heads together until they kiss, that's when it'll probably be over." Tifa joked farcically, though she didn't entirely doubt it, but she rambled on using him as a bucket for her grievances.

"But it's alright. I'm doing the same thing for Yuffie too, she wants me to help her win over Vincent."

"Vincent?" Barret was hopelessly lost.

"Friend of ours." Tifa enlightened him brusquely and continued. "Anyway, He's this guy who Yuffie suddenly had a crush on. Oh! And Jessie?! Ha!" Tifa paused to take a breather and to stress the similarity of Yuffie and Jessie's affairs. "Jessie, is no different."

"Jessie?"

"Library aid girl." Tifa stopped drying the plates that he passed her all together and leaned against the sink. "She's got a crush on Reno, who's kind of a jerk when you first meet him, but she's not that much like Yuffie considering that she's actually spoken to Reno. But hell, I've talked more to their crushes than they themselves have! It's all really funny actually, they defiantly make school a lot more interesting."

Barret looked like he didn't catch a word he said with the dumbstruck expression on his face.

"It sounds like you got a lot on yah plate." Barret dried his hands and sat on a bar stool.

"A well it's only my friends issues not mine, if it were about school now that'd be a hassle. But this is just me offering relationship guidance."

"And what the hell do yah think you doin' with that advice, huh? Didn't you tell me you never had a boyfriend?" Barret questioned Tifa's reasons to take part in the romantic endeavors of others with a raised brow.

"Well..no, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Barret stood and gripped Tifa's little but capable hands. "I'm sayin', why are you botherin' yahself with relationships you ain't even part of. I mean if you, yourself never cared about that stuff, what are you doin' addin' more loads to yah back?"

Tifa heeded Barret's fatherly words and pondered if a point was made. She never had a boyfriend because of indolent indifference. Not because she hated the idea of one, she simply paid no mind to it. All Tifa cared about from elementary to middle school was her friends, her family, and her grades. The mention of boys was almost unheard, then high school barged into the scenario and she realized that love was sought after more by teenagers that anyone else really, probably because of teenagers' natural aspiration to receive most attention. She learned that love was sort of a problem for everyone, while all she worried about was how soon her milk was going to expire.

Tifa's interest in relationships hadn't radically flourished over the years, but she defiantly wondered what all the fuss was about. Her curiosity had certainly been piqued. And for Barret to say she never cared about relationships all together was rather irksome. But she wouldn't say Barret was wrong either, he was mostly right after all.

"I could...date boys..." Tifa's head lowered behind her shoulder skittishly.

"Of course yah can." Barret took Tifa's hand spun her around making her hair fan out. "Look at you, all young and beautiful." Tifa smiled and her face reddened. "But it don't matter if yah can, what matters is that yah won't." He disheveled her hair with his hand as he petted her head roughly.

Tifa rearranged her ruffled tresses, nettled by Barret's tom-foolery.

"Jeez, You act like I'm Marlene."

"Oh, speakin' of her, she's upstairs. She and Denzel want to see yah."

"Oh! Right, hold on." Tifa raced to the upstairs part of the bar. The other thing about the bar was that is was also home to Barret and his children, adoptive children. See, Barret was a lot like Cid, from their coarse personas and scruffy facial hair to their ability to take on a challenge that wasn't originally theirs, though Cid never raised Tifa of course. Barret had taken custody of two wonderful kids, they were the best kids that ever came into the world in Tifa's opinion. They weren't spoiled rotten, they weren't smart mouths, and they never misbehaved unlike every other kid their age.

The years she'd worked there were made so much better with them there. She would visit the bar when it was closed and she'd babysit and hang out with them. They always made her smile and laugh even when she had descended into dejection, they were probably the best who related with her since the same happened to them, and at such a young age. But despite their early hardships, their bright outlook remained. And she didn't know if it was just their remarkable strength or if they were just inherently awesome.

Tifa crept up the stairs hoping to surprise them. She open Marlene's room door just a crack to check if they were in her room, though the crevice leaked an image of the children together. Marlene sat on her bed, her lower lip caught between her teeth, as she stroked at paper with a blunt crayon solicitously. And as for Denzel, lay on the floor watching some obnoxious kid cartoon about a cat whose futile life mission was to catch an elusive mouse.

She beamed opening the door.

"Knock, knock!"

Their bodies sprung up at the loud interruption of their idle time. "Tifa!" Marlene almost rolled of her bed from the jolt, she brushed off the aftershock and threw her arms around her. Denzel got there first however, and Marlene sandwiched him between them awkwardly but no complaints were uttered.

"We missed you!" Denzel's words were muffled by Tifa's stomach.

"But, I came in last Tuesday!" Tifa's arms encircled around them tighter.

Denzel strained to pull his head out from the suffocation. "But we have stuff to show you!"

"Well, alright..." Tifa wobbled to the edge of Marlene's bed and her legs collapsed under all the weight and the three keeled over on the bed.

"What's up?"

Denzel sat up energetically. "I've been working on an impression of Cid! Want to hear it?!

Tifa was a little concerned about what this impression might have. Cid's mouth wasn't the most kid friendly, he didn't even lighten the load for them either, just as potty-mouthed around them as he was any other person.

"Okay..uh sure." Tifa prayed Denzel wouldn't feign Cid's ways precisely, they anymore emotional scarring.

"Okay hear goes..." He cleared his throat expertly and mimicked one of Cid's faces and embodied his thick accent as best he could. "Marlene's brain is so small, yah'd think it was a piece o' chewed up gum!" He laughed holding his stomach.

"Hey!" Marlene jumped out of Tifa's arms and attacked him, She knew all of his tickle spots and they convulsed in a spate of laughter and screams. Tifa only laughed for she would have done the same thing. He finally got a grip on her wrists.

"You know I'm only kidding! Oh! And this one too!" He dismounted and Tifa noticed that he'd devoted some time to rehearse Cid's sloppy walk, his gait took him to the door where he faked hitting his foot on it's corner and yelped, clutching his foot in his hand.

"Darn it! Dang door!"

His imitation was so immaculate that Marlene fell over from her laughter and Tifa was thankful that Denzel was smart enough to shove replacements where Cid's profanities had obviously been. She acknowledged that he actually remembered that Cid, for some unnamed reason, was constantly hitting his foot on doors. She theorized that because of all the trauma, he probably had a permanent bent toe or something of the like.

"That was spot on!" Tifa clapped her hands, she almost believed Denzel had really injured his foot.

"Thanks! It took me forever to learn." He nudged Marlene prompting her to show Tifa what she'd been working on earlier. She brought out the sheet and Denzel helped her hold it up. It was a drawing of Tifa, Barret, Cid, Marlene, and Denzel together in the Bar. Tifa never knew that Marlene was such an accomplished artist, for a child. She even drew The bar stools' legs with unremitting accuracy.

"Wow! This is really good, Marlene! You did this all by yourself?!" Tifa touched the artwork to verify it's reality.

"Yeah! It's for school, an art project actually. You're supposed to draw yourself and the people you believe will always be by your side, it's sorta like a family tree thingy! You like it?" Marlene handed Tifa the drawing to permit her further observation.

"Like it?!" Tifa kissed her on her plump little cheek but couldn't stop looking at it.

"Told you she'd love it!" Denzel shoved her again and she giggled ecstatically.

Tifa regarded the artistry for the longest time. What really caught her attention was the purpose Marlene had said to draw it was. An assemblage of the people she cherished the most, only now had Tifa noted the closeness of their figures. It meant a lot to her that in a such a short amount of time, Marlene had appraised her as family. She adored Marlene like a sister as well, but she also respected her ability to be so quick let people in.

Marlene's biological father was Barret's best friend. He died gunned down by street thugs and her mother died by the same bandits. Marlene was still a baby when this happened and has no memories of them at all. But she understands the truth of her life and knows of her true parents, Barret hasn't hidden anything from her and his prayers of her love to remain have been answered. He considers his friend's daughter his own and she lovingly calls him 'daddy'. Tifa was there to make sure she didn't take after all of Barret's examples. She was there to provide a female counterpart for Marlene's emulation. Marlene loves without question and all Tifa wishes is that she never changes.

Denzel's story is a bit different as he jumped around from foster home to foster home. He was violent and belligerent. He shut people out and secluded himself in an encompassing emotional cage. He would try run away on occasion but was inevitably caught every time. But on one fateful escape, he ran into Barret and Marlene on their way home from Marlene's school. He ran onto the path of Barret's oncoming car. So bent on gaining precious distance between himself and the foster home, the screeching of the tires must have fallen on deaf ears. Tifa saw this and bounded towards him, no one else would die that way. She'd saved him and Barret had taken a liking to his bravery and felt that since Marlene was feeling lonely that he'd make a nice addition the family.

At first, connecting was shaky. Denzel was still extremely volatile and often broke out into fights at school and isolated himself at home. But through Barret's adamant will, Marlene's cooperation, and even Tifa's motherly streak, they proved to him that they could be just a stubborn as he was. They made it so that Denzel would never find an escape of their love, and eventual success was their reward. For Denzel learned to smile again and he made friends under Marlene's instruction. He rose out of the cycle of desolation and grew fond of the three. Denzel soon understood the meaning of love because of their perseverance and tenacity.

Now that she'd thought about it, Tifa really had been there to watch Marlene and Denzel grow up. She been there to help mitigate the agony of lose teeth and conciliate them once they had to be pulled out. To help bake cakes and decorate for birthday parties. For motivation to get up after falling off bikes and to wipe the dirt of chins and cheeks when they'd gotten up. To take care of older bullies who'd forgotten their place. And even recuperation after a hard day's work, they helped Tifa and Barret hold down things around the bar regularly.

"You're a big part of our lives, Tifa!" Denzel snapped Tifa out of her daze startlingly.

She smiled, almost tearing up. She gathered them into her arms and proceeded to squeeze the living hell out of them. They were the only people she knew that had the capacity to withstand the strength of her hugs without a sound, but with a smile.

"I love you guys."

"We love you too!" Denzel and Marlene squished their faces together with Tifa's.

"Tifa! Let's go we about to open!" Barret called Tifa to action from the downstairs assertively.

"Since you guys love me so much, whaddaya say to helping us out today?"

"Will you make dinner for us today?!" Tifa giggled at how they loved her cooking, she never made anything special but they always scarfed it down delightedly. "Sure!"

"Yay! The three made their way downstairs and the door's chimes already began ringing.

* * *

Tifa was awfully deflated as she walked to her home but she smiled even though the cadence of her steps made her feet throb, she'd been on them all afternoon. But the day had ticked by so swimmingly.

The money she earned today was enough to pay Cid off and still leave enough for her to waste away on herself if she had the mind to. She was able to snag a hefty amount of tips from customers to make a nice profit. And the picture Marlene drew today still made her all giddy, she couldn't wait to tell Cid about it.

Tifa suddenly found herself colliding with a something firm but it wasn't a wall or fence.

She looked up to apologize and she found a despairing head of familiar, thread like silver hair.

* * *

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! A cliff hanger! Sorry about that!**

**Anyway thanks for waiting so long!**

**The cuteness of this chapter had me gagging 3333!**

**And listen, since everyone is all hyped up about Cloud let me say that HE'S COMING...SOOOON! I get that you guys love him, trust me, I get it. I probably love him more than all of yall! But patience is the biggest virtue :D! **

**Anything wrong with this chap?! Please tell me! **

**Reviews make me happy :)! So do me the giant favor and make me happy! Love all around and as always stay tuned!**


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